Written by Joyce Nzomo
Two former police officers have each been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the brutal torture and killing of a 31-year-old man who was arrested for not wearing a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a ruling delivered at the Eldoret High Court, Justice Reuben Nyakundi found Emmanuel Wafula, 38, and Godfrey Sirengo, 35, guilty of murdering Dennis Lusava while in police custody.
The incident occurred on October 7, 2020, at Mbururu Police Post in Likuyani sub-county, Kakamega County.
The court heard that Lusava had initially clashed with the officers over his failure to wear a face mask at the height of the pandemic. Though he briefly escaped arrest with help from bystanders, the officers later lured him back to the station.
Once in custody, Lusava was handcuffed to the window of a police cell and subjected to a brutal beating.
Witness testimonies revealed that the officers kicked, punched, and used electric cables to torture him.
Despite the severity of his injuries, he was denied medical assistance and eventually died.
To conceal the crime, the officers reportedly stuffed Lusava’s body into a gunny bag and dumped it in River Nzoia, along the Bungoma-Kakamega county border.
Justice Nyakundi condemned the officers for gross abuse of power, noting they were entrusted with protecting lives yet chose to violate that duty with lethal force.
He further criticized them for showing no remorse and dismissed their plea for a non-custodial sentence.
“The murder was committed with malice aforethought, and there was sufficient evidence pointing to a common intention between the two,” the judge ruled.
The prosecution, led by Sidi Kirengo, presented 21 witnesses, including the victim’s parents, Safani Malongo and Agnes Ambale, and submitted 27 exhibits in court.
The case, which took five years to conclude, has now delivered long-awaited justice to
Lusava’s family, including his two children aged 9 and 14.
